Vampire
by K-promises-fall
Summary: When Shizuru is nine she happens upon a child vampire in an alley. Shiznat. Vampire!Natsuki.
1. Prologue

**Vampire**

**By: K-promises-fall**

**IMPORTANT: **This was originally supposed to be a five chaptered story (not including Prologue) however, after having gone so long not writing I feel that I might never be able to finish this fanfic. Fortunately (or unfortunately) I stopped writing it at a place that is somewhat suitable (but painful) as a stop-gap/ending. Hopefully I'll one day be able to end this work of fanfiction as I had originally intended, but right now, I feel that my current style of writing is inadequate. This fic will not be labled as complete once the final written chapter is uploaded, but want to make it clear that I might never finish this fic in the way I wanted. That being as it is, after re-reading this, I found that I loved it too much to keep it to myself. I hope you enjoy. All other Author Notes will be from when I had originally written the fic and so will speak with the intention of there being five chapters plus a prologue.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mai HiME. It is owned by Sunrise; a company in a far away land that I have no money to get to.**

-Begin

She was so very small. Shizuru reached out a hand to brush knotted hair from her face but froze as the small girl let out a pathetic whine and tried, unsuccessfully, to pull herself further inward and away from her.

Emerald eyes pierced the darkness of the alley and watched Shizuru with unrestrained terror. Again, Shizuru could not help but wonder at how small she was. Holed up in an old crate in a dark, smelly alley and frightened to death, and so very, very small. Shizuru reached out her hand again, and the girl closed her eyes and shuddered violently. Her fingers lightly brushed oily, clumped hair, and the girl cried out with a weak voice and trembled even more. "Shhh..." She brushed the hair to the side and rubbed her thumb against the girl's cheek. It was something Shizuru's mother used to do when she was still alive and Shizuru had woken from a nightmare crying. "Shhh... it's alright." The girl whimpered again and recoiled slightly but did not pull away completely. Shizuru continued to rub her thumb up and down her cheek and shushed her gently, occasionally brushing back her hair.

The girl slowly started to calm, and opened her eyes to look at Shizuru. Her gaze still trembled, and she refused to meet her eyes. Shizuru looked away from the girl for a second to the opening of the alley where townspeople walked by briskly without even a glance in their direction. She looked back at the girl, her eyes stinging slightly from the sudden change in lighting, and saw that she had ceased trembling. _'She can't be more than six years old...'_

She wondered how long she had been gone. If it had been too long then Miss Maria would be mad. But then, Miss Maria was always mad. If she brought this little girl with her, then Miss Maria would be furious and would probably force her to leaver her at the orphanage. She was so small, there was no way she would survive there. Shizuru had been in the orphanage a week before Miss Maria had gotten her out of the place, and it had been no better than a workhouse, such a fragile girl had no chance of survival.

So what could she do? She was only nine...

The girl leaned her head slightly into Shizuru's palm, it was warm, and Shizuru felt with disbelief that the girl herself was alarmingly cold. Wordlessly she took off her coat and placed it around the girl's shoulders; she almost seemed to have been swallowed by it. Shizuru looked out of the alley again, still no one had yet to notice her. Slowly, so as to not startle her again, Shizuru reached down and took the girl's hand. The girl tensed for a moment, but after a minute where Shizuru patiently waited for her to become comfortable again, she relaxed and allowed Shizuru to pull her hand forward. Shizuru slowly pulled her from her dark corner, and was only just starting to really see the girl – my, she was _filthy_ – when the girl recoiled harshly and cried out, before stumbling backwards back to her corner, holding her hand as if she was in pain.

Looking back to make sure no one had seen what had just happened, Shizuru hurried after her. "What's wrong?" she whispered. The girl only whimpered in response holding onto her hand, shielding it, flinching backwards when Shizuru tried to reach for it. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry." Still the girl shuffled backwards rapidly, managing to trip and fall on her back in her effort at escape. Shizuru felt so sorry for her. Tears gathered in the corners of the girl's eyes, but none fell as she clutched her arm to her chest, Shizuru's coat having slid off during the fall.

Slowly, Shizuru moved closer, the girls eyes widened with fear that made Shizuru want to cry, before dulling into surrender. Her shoulders sagged and her breaths came in huge gulps of air that denoted that she was ready to cry. She didn't resist when Shizuru gently touched her arm, below the elbow and lifted it up. And what Shizuru saw then caused her to gasp. The skin on the girls arm was burnt red, and raw, as if from a burn. Shizuru touched it lightly with a finger and the girl cried out and pulled back reflexively. Shizuru could only look up at the girl, whose mouth was opened in dry sobs and marvel at the small fangs poking out. She would have mistaken them for normal canines had they not been so sharp. The skin she had just touched was now hard and stretched, and Shizuru stared in awe as she watched bits and pieces of the skin flake off to reveal new pink skin beneath.

She breathed deeply. "You're a vampire..."

The girl only stared at her dress with the same defeated expression, still managing to not look her in the eyes, and the small bit of fear Shizuru had previously felt towards her fell through. The girl was sniffling now, but tears had yet to fall from her eyes and Shizuru thought that despite her seemingly timid nature, the girl was very brave. Letting go of the healing appendage, Shizuru again picked up her coat and placed it back around the girls shoulder, taking care to gently place her arms through each sleeve so it would not fall off. Then, reaching into the pocket of her dress, she took out a piece of bread wrapped in a handkerchief and gave it to the girl, unwrapping it slightly so she could see what it was.

The girl held it, and stared at it for a moment, unshed tears still in the corners of her eyes, before looking back up at Shizuru with distant, confused eyes.

Shizuru smiled. "Eat it." The girl only looked at her blankly, her mouth opening and closing in wordless speech. Shizuru had no idea what she might have been trying to say, but picked a small piece from the bread and ate it, swallowing. She then motioned for the girl to do the same. The girl looked at her, then at the bread for several seconds before holding it out to Shizuru. She could only laugh lightly in response and shook her head, pushing it back to the girl who looked at her with puzzled eyes. "You eat it," she explained, pointing at the bread and then to the girl.

The girl stared at the bread, with what Shizuru took to be suspicion, and then took a small bite. What Miss Maria would have called a nibble _"Stop nibbling at your food and eat it, Miss Shizuru."_ She only smiled at the memory and watched as the girl nibbled at the food slowly, before slowly beginning to take larger, more daring bites.

Distantly, Shizuru heard the evening bells starting to ring, and looked behind her again. There were only a few people still passing by. Miss Maria would be very mad indeed. Shizuru looked back at the little vampire, eating the bread almost viciously now, and reached her hand up to run it through the girl's hair. The girl stopped eating to stare at her, flinching only slightly as Shizuru fingers ran as far as they could go before meeting one of the more complex knots. "I have to leave now. It's late, and Miss Maria will punish me if I stay much longer." She would probably punish her for staying as long as she had. But the girl didn't need to know that. "I promise I'll come back tonight though. Miss Maria goes to sleep really early and has to take medicine to keep her asleep through the night. You can come and live with me instead of in this alley." After a brief pause, she added. "And it will be dark, so the sun won't hurt you, and no one will be able to see me taking you home."

The girl didn't respond, but Shizuru wasn't disheartened in the slightest by her silence. She was going to help this girl; this vampire would be her own little secret that not even Miss Maria would know.

Her cheeks pinked slightly as she remembered something, a distant memory from her mother, _"Always introduce yourself when meeting new people Shizuru. It's the polite thing to do."_

"I'm sorry. My name is Shizuru. Shizuru Viola."

The girl didn't respond, though her gaze slipped upwards to glimpse at her face before settling back on the front of her dress. Tentatively, she started eating again. Shizuru smiled at that.

"I'll be back," she whispered again, and then stood up and ran out of the alley and down the road away to where emerald eyes could no longer see her. In the dark alley, back under the protection of her crate as dusk fell and men walked home, the young vampire opened her mouth and moved it in failed attempts to form words. The only things her voice produced were broken syllables as she repeated the name of the strange human she had met today. _"Shizuru," _her mind said. But the only thing that uttered from her lips was a dry wheeze and a broken "S...i-ru".

Night fell, with the only sound being the same broken "S...i-ru" being repeated again and again in a dark alley.

-End Prologue

Ah yes, the fresh smell of a new story, just waiting to be written. I like the idea for this one. It probably won't be long. Maybe four or five chapters... I don't know. Its a fairly simple idea, perhaps too simple as I've yet to see anyone write anything like it in the Mai HiME section, though I admit while I have read many of the Shiznat stories on , I have not read them all. Most shiznat vampire stories (all of those that I have read so far) have Shizuru being the vampire. I thought that I'd twist things up a bit. I admit to finding one other story where Natsuki is the vampire, but I have not read it, only peaked in on the first chapter enough to conclude that it is nothing like this story.

I hope I got you somewhat interested with this little prologue, and I hope to keep you interested during the course of this short story.

Reviews would be very welcome.

'Til Chapter One. ;)

~K-promises-fall.


	2. Chapter 1: Growing Up

**Chapter 1 – Growing Up**

* * *

1: Home

* * *

The door creaked as Shizuru pushed it open and she winced at the sound. Her heart hammered loudly in her ears, and the hand she used to brush her bangs from her eyes was shaking slightly. She had waited for hours after she had heard the door to Miss Maria's room lock. Even now she wondered if Miss Maria knew what she planning. The elderly woman had the strangest ability to know exactly when Shizuru was doing something she wasn't supposed to. Shizuru was horribly scared that Miss Maria was waiting just behind the door of her room across the hall, listening to see if Shizuru would dare disobey her and break curfew.

She tilted her head to the side and listened.

There was nothing but silence.

She pushed the door open farther and slipped a foot outside, ready to pull it back in and shut the door should Miss Maria's bedroom door move in the slightest. But it remained still, and Shizuru quickly slipped out and made her way to the staircase where she stuck close to the wall to avoid creaking stairs.

Her heartbeat was fast, her breathing was shallow and every nerve was on end, her eyes constantly shifting to look behind her, always thinking that the next time – the next time she turned around she would be staring right at Miss Maria's scowling face. But it was not so, and Shizuru made it all the way to the back door without getting caught. Her hand gripped the doorknob and then hesitated. She had yet to give much thought about what she was doing. She was planning to bring a _vampire_ home. Even though no one spoke much of them anymore, people were still wary of vampires and other such creatures. Wary and loathing of them. If she was caught, the girl would be killed, and Shizuru might very well be locked away in the dungeons for the rest of her life. Miss Maria, scary and imposing that she was, had still rescued her from the orphanage when her parents died. She had had no obligation to retake her role as Shizuru's "nanny", and had been perfectly alright in her retirement, but she had come back for Shizuru nonetheless, and taken care of her in the place of her mother. People would lose the reverend respect they held for the woman, and she would have to live the rest of her life knowing that she had failed in raising Shizuru in a manner her parents would have wished.

But the small girl she had seen needed help; needed help or she would end up dead before long. And needed a place to hide from the public else someone else would find her and kill her. Remembering those large emerald eyes, and how they had shifted to everywhere but Shizuru's eyes, Shizuru tightened her grip and slowly turned the key before opening the door.

Immediately she was enveloped in a cold wind. She shivered and clutched the blanket she held closer to her chest as she closed the door, and then ran. The streets were empty, and it must have been later than she thought as only a few windows glowed with a soft light. The sound of her footfalls were the only thing she heard as she raced through the streets, retracing her earlier steps toward the alley she had found earlier, praying she did not pass the alley in the darkness. The sound of her shoes on padded dirt – though the shoes were soft heeled and she could feel the stones through them – sounded dangerously loud in her ears, and soon her panting also pierced the night's silence.

Shizuru slowed, then stopped, and with a quick look around to make sure that she really _hadn't _been heard or spotted she stepped into the dark alley, her eyes connecting almost immediately with green eyes that glowed with a startling brightness in the dark, where Shizuru could make out nothing else of her figure. Then the eyes slipped lower, away from her gaze and the spell was broken. Shizuru shook her head slightly and stepped closer. As she stepped closer her eyes became more used to the dark alley and she could faintly make out that the girl was shivering. When she was right in front of the girl, she placed the blanket over her shoulders and her bowed head, then, for a reason she couldn't really explain, hugged her close.

* * *

Shizuru smelled nice.

The little vampire buried her face closer into Shizuru's dress and had the same thought again. Shizuru smelled nice. Did that mean that Shizuru was a nice person? But other people smelled nice too; sitting in her dark alley as the townspeople walked by, she could smell the various perfumes; some much too strong, others subtle enough to mix with the scents of the earth. Some didn't smell so good, but most smelled nice. Not as nice as Shizuru, but nice.

People from her home had smelled nice too...

Her hands gripped her dirty and worn shorts tightly.

She would focus on Shizuru; this strange human girl who hadn't run screaming when she discovered what she was. She thought Shizuru was nice. Shizuru had fed her when she hadn't eaten _mortal _food in months. Months where her body deteriorated and withered away. Slow going, lonely months where it was just her, only her and the darkness and the various critters that scuttled around in that darkness.

She felt Shizuru pull away slightly and shifted her head to sneak another careful glance at her peculiar eyes. They weren't eyes she would usually find on a human, they had been a bit more common at home, but not among the mortals. Was Shizuru like her then?

"Let's get going before dawn comes. If we get caught we'd probably get into a lot of trouble."

She felt Shizuru's hands touch hers. They were so much warmer than she was used to. She didn't think Shizuru was much like her at all. Not in the slightest. That thought alone kept her grounded to the spot as Shizuru tugged at her arm.

Never trust a human.

Shizuru had turned to face the exit of the alley, now she turned back and was surprised to find herself staring directly into the vampire's green eyes. They were beautiful eyes, she thought. But they glared at her with a ferociousness that startled her. They _were_ glowing, pulsing almost with light and Shizuru would have let go of her hand right then.

But she didn't. Her grip tightened on the hand, now a bit warmer, and her eyes narrowed.

They stood like that, glaring at each other.

This was it, the moment when the human would show that she was just like the rest of them and try and hurt her and force her into whatever trap it was she had set. But she wouldn't die that easily. She would fight back, kill her if she had to, and find a new town and a new alley. Her head swelled; she could drink. How long had it been? Much too long, her instincts were screaming at her. Rip her neck out, drink your fill and slay every single one of the bastard humans while they slept.

Her nails drew blood, startled by the sudden scent she loosened her hand. It was Shizuru's blood. She had drawn first blood. If the human hadn't wanted to kill her before, she would definitely want to kill her now. So maybe she would drink tonight after all, and she'd be dead come morning.

* * *

Shizuru cried out in pain and surprise when her back hit the alley wall. The little vampire's breath was cold on her neck, colder even than the wind she had run through in her haste to get here. Her stupid, stupid haste.

She shut her eyes tightly and flinched when the vampire's teeth raked across her neck, the tips digging in till they broke flesh. The small trickle of blood that ran from the small puncture wounds was warm on her neck.

But the fangs had yet to bury themselves in her flesh; had yet to complete the horror story she had heard so many times in her life. That cold breath was still on her, still breathing shallowly on her open wound. A sudden wind blew in from the alley, and Shizuru could feel the shiver that ran through the young vampire's body, and her fright was gone. Her tense body relaxed as she felt herself lowered back to the ground. In the stillness of the night, with the words close to her ear Shizuru heard the whispered words breathed on her neck.

"Shi..-ru," No, no that wasn't it. She strained her ears and listened closely. "Shizuru..." she was saying. It was hard to hear, but it was her name, every syllable of it perfectly pronounced despite being barely audible to her human ears.

She smiled, and took the hand which held her only loosely now, they were still small and frail looking, though now she knew better what they were capable of. "Let's go."

This time she was met with no resistance.

* * *

2: Understanding

* * *

A year older, a year wiser.

It had been a year since she had brought the vampire home with her. Hiding her had been startlingly easy and simple. Shizuru's house was old and had many hidden rooms. One such hidden room was connected to her own, and she was embarrassed to say that she never would have found it had she not taken Natsuki home that day. A year ago she had naively brought what many believed to have been a monster into her home. She had fed it and bathed it and given it new clothes. She had washed its hair, combed out as many of the knots and tangles in it as she could and when she was forced to give up on the ruin of what should have been beautiful silky hair, she had taken a knife to it and tried to cut what had to be cut as neatly as possible. It was still a bit uneven in places, but she had been proud of her work.

But a year had gone by since those magical first days. After telling Shizuru her name in her whisper of a voice, she had refrained from speaking as much as was seemingly possible. Natsuki took what food she gave, and kept to the darkness of the hidden rooms and secret passages. She had gained more weight now that she was eating healthily, and she was no longer afraid to meet Shizuru in the eye. All of these things were wonderful, but Shizuru was also a year wiser, let us not forget. She knew better the risks she was taking by housing a vampire. She could be banished, she could be labelled a vampire whore and beaten, killed. She could be labelled a witch and burned. Miss Maria would also most likely suffer from her actions should she be found out. The old woman would be seen as no better than Shizuru herself. She would be locked away, shunned, marked, spat upon, enslaved; there were so many ways to hurt and punish a person.

And none of these things were what filled her with fear. What filled her with fear was the danger that walked around in frozen skin and slept in those hidden passageways.

A year wiser. A year to finally understand that she had brought what could potentially be her own death into her home, her safe haven. It ate her food, and shunned her advances of friendship and looked at her through lidded eyes, glared at her really. That same girl who had at first seemed so helpless. That girl had the power to rip her apart limb by limb and tear her throat open. That girl grew stronger on her lifeblood; the neck she kept so bare and unprotected. There was the possibility that the stories were false (she had yet to be bitten after all) but they were even more likely to be true, and what would become of her then? She would become a victim of her own compassion, slain by a monster she herself had nursed back to health. How tragic.

Yes, she finally understood what she faced. She knew what could happen. She could die; she could die in so many many painful ways. And therein lay her fear.

But she refused to turn the vampire out; refused to turn Natsuki out.

It had been a year and Natsuki had yet to show the warmth Shizuru so desperately wished she had. But she would let her stay. She wanted her to stay. Natsuki had yet to justify her fears in the slightest, and until such a time Shizuru would not turn out a child in need.

Maybe she wasn't that wise after all.

* * *

3: Watching

* * *

Shizuru... the human, was strange; very strange. Natsuki didn't dare think about when she had started to think of her as more than a strange human girl, and so she repeated this fact to herself over and over again. The human was very strange.

It was night again. The human was studying, something she did every night before sleep claimed her. She had been studying by light of a single lamp for an hour now. Natsuki had been behind the mirror in her room the entire time with only the spiders and lizards for company. The human was 12 now; three years had gone by since she had "moved". The human had been studying later and later, taking more and more time before she finally decided to put away the books and rest. Watching her study night after night was boring. Natsuki new the hidden tunnels of the house almost by heart now, she could spend her time listening to gossiping maids or some other such thing; something a bit more interesting than this.

Still it was amusing. Shizuru mouthed the words she read, something she only did when she was really absorbed in her studying. Natsuki would amuse herself by trying to read those words. Sometimes she was successful, and sometimes she failed. Sometimes she could only figure out a few words in every sentence. But she was getting better. Watching Shizuru was fun. No, not fun exactly, interesting? But Shi-... the human wasn't interesting at all, just strange, she was strange.

But did her strangeness _make_ her interesting? Maybe. It was possible.

She watched silently, her thoughts swirling as Shizuru closed one book and began another. She would have to wait a while for Shizuru to get into it, before her lip reading could continue. She didn't mind, though she probably should. Was she getting too close to her? But she already had practically no contact with the human. All she really did was watch her, and that was okay wasn't it? Watching your... enemies?

Shizuru's lips started moving again and Natsuki's eyes focused on them, glowing brightly in the dark passageway. Then she laughed. Shizuru was reading a story book again.

* * *

Shizuru smiled into the book. It was muffled, but she had heard the soft laughter through the thin walls of her room, and looking into the small mirror she had leaned against the wall on the desk, she could just barely make out the shadow of Natsuki's sitting form behind the mirror. Her glowing eyes showed the easiest.

Natsuki didn't know it just yet, but they had already found their own way of communicating, and Shizuru would talk to Natsuki as much as she could in this way until the day Natsuki finally opened up to her. Then they could laugh together over stories and legends of castles and dragons and dwarves.

* * *

The maids giggled whenever Shizuru walked by. At first Shizuru had been puzzled when it started. Was there something awkward about the way she dressed? Did they know something that she didn't? Perhaps she should be wary of Miss Maria for a while...

But they were maids, and this was an old, old house. Just as there were passageways she was sure only Natsuki knew how to navigate, she had eventually come to the realization that maids gossip usually stayed as just that. Gossip amongst the _maids_. And the maids knew _everything_ that happened in the house they were paid to take care of.

They giggled and smiled because they knew her secret. They knew she was hiding someone in the walls of the mansion. "The Mistress' phantom" they called her Natsuki. It was true that Natsuki was in her own way a phantom, the coldness of her skin, the low rough quality of her voice, the way she seemed to flow from one dark corner to the next, and her ever so pale skin. Shizuru would often jokingly refer to Natsuki as "my watchful phantom", as Natsuki's bright green eyes that seemed to glow slightly even in the light of several candles never seemed to leave her for long anymore. Natsuki would frown and nudge her playfully before her frown gave way to a smirk. Just where Natsuki had picked up the smirk from, Shizuru did not know. It was a charming smirk though, and Shizuru came to love it, even with the touch of arrogance on its edges.

* * *

_She closed the book decisively and leaned her head back as far as she could to find green eyes. They stared right back at her. Natsuki lay on her bed, on her back with her head hanging over the edge and her hair lightly brushing the carpeted floor. She smiled at the sight, it was cute._

_"Natsuki."_

_She grunted. Shizuru's smile widened._

_"Natsuki..."_

_Another grunt, louder and rougher. But Shizuru wanted to hear Natsuki's voice. Grunts were unacceptable._

_"Na-tsu-kiii..." She spoke each syllable individually, dragging out the final one in a childish whine._

_"What?" Her voice was lower than normal, a sign that Shizuru had managed to annoy her. Shizuru took it in for what it was and promptly moved on. Her annoyance was only a front she knew. Natsuki had been sitting there the entire time just waiting for her to set aside the books and various study material and pay attention to her. Her vampire was a needy little thing, and attention craving. Even more so, now that Shizuru had started attending etiquette classes with a woman even more uptight than Miss Maria (something Natsuki insisted had to be impossible)._

_She smiled secretly. "You know what the maids say of you don't you?"_

_One of those smooth, navy blue eyebrows rose delicately. "Of course." She knew almost everything that happened in the house, having acquainted herself with it for years. "It's all just stupid rumours. They think I'm some street rat boy you met on one of your trips to the market and brought home, or some other crap like that. It's hardly amusing."_

_Shizuru giggled. "I actually think it's very amusing."_

_Another one of those grunts Natsuki had gotten so used to giving. "You would."_

_"And what does that mean?" She shifted her legs to the side and turned her body halfway to more easily meet Natsuki's eyes. "Does Natsuki find me easily amused?"_

_"You are the one giggling over a bunch of rumours that aren't even close to the truth."_

_"I won't deny giggling, it is not a crime. But I think they are pretty close just for mere speculation."_

_"They think I am a boy," and her eyes flashed a brighter green as the words left her mouth. Of course that's what Natsuki would focus on._

_"You do dress like one..." Even as Natsuki lay on her bed glaring, she wore loose trousers and a white dress shirt. Shizuru never asked how she got them, there were certainly no boys living in the mansion, not even one of the maid's sons. "And you act like a boy as well." She sighed, breaking the response Natsuki was about to give and continued. "Oh Natsuki, my dark prince. Secretly courting me in my own home and trying to steal away the innocence I was brought up to treasure." She blushed as a part of the act, relaxing her body to lay almost provocatively over the chair. The blush she received was worth it and she almost doubled over with laughter._

_Natsuki glared at her, then rolled over and off the bed. She was heading straight for the hidden door._

_Shizuru sprang from her chair and moved to block her, Natsuki stepped around her. Shizuru moved again and pressed her back to the hidden door. Natsuki glared. Shizuru merely smiled._

_"I'm only kidding."_

_"One day your "kidding" will get you in trouble."_

_"With you?" She stepped forward slightly, still making sure to block Natsuki's escape._

_"I'll probably end up having to save your ungrateful arse." Natsuki's lips twitched upward slightly at the remark, but she continued glaring, probably hoping Shizuru hadn't noticed it. She had._

_"Much like a prince then. Sweet Natsuki; my courageous prince; the phantom who watches over me while I sleep."_

_Natsuki's eyes narrowed even further and she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't start."_

_Shizuru ruffled her hair in response, something Natsuki increasingly protested against as she grew older and more prideful. "I'm not starting anything. All I'm saying is that Natsuki does act much like a phantom. You haunt the corridors and secret passageways of my home during the nights and keep a constant vigil over everything that moves. You are cold as a phantom, and pale as a phantom, and glide across floors very much like a phantom would." She placed her index finger to Natsuki's chest as she spoke and stared down at her. Five years had gone by and Natsuki was only just starting to catch up with Shizuru in terms of height. Shizuru noted this with an inner smile. "You cannot deny that."_

_The glare on Natsuki's face remained, and despite the familiarity of it, the chill still managed to make Shizuru shiver slightly. "Of course I can."_

_"Now you're just being stubborn."_

_Natsuki merely smiled. The next second Shizuru found herself where Natsuki had been standing, with the girl's hands unwrapping themselves from around her waist. "Phantoms aren't to be seen." Then she disappeared into the wall with only a slight click to signal her departure._

_Shizuru eyed where she had been with a small frown. She had not wanted their banter to end so quickly. Now she had no choice but to go to sleep. Still, she smiled. "My watchful phantom prince, then..." Her eyes briefly connected with a green glow behind her mirror as she turned towards her bed._

_Such a cute phantom she had._

* * *

4: Maturing

* * *

"Congratulations."

The word broke the silence in the room with the cleanness of a sharp blade. Shizuru, finally alone in her room, started. It seemed she wasn't alone after all, she should have known better. "On what?" Her voice lacked her usual spirit, and hinted at a weariness that caused Natsuki to hesitate; she, after all, knew just how Shizuru looked at today. Natsuki perhaps viewed it more morosely than the girl herself.

"Your birthday of course. You are sixteen today, I thought that was a special year for your kind."

The smile she got in response had a touch of bitterness to it. "A special year indeed. No congratulations for anything else?"

"No." It was blunt, she knew, and winced when nothing else followed to soften the blow. She noticed how suddenly Shizuru's shoulders had tensed. "... Congratulations on your engagement."

She got a bitter laugh as a response.

"It is not so bad Shizuru..."

"Really? How so?"

She placed her hands on Shizuru's shoulders and turned her slightly, kneeling, so that they were face to face. The tears in Shizuru's eyes hurt her, so she tenderly kissed them away and felt Shizuru relax under her hands. "There is a phantom that lives in your house, a monster that is very protective and might just kill whoever made a certain someone cry."

The smile she received was empty. "It is good then, that monsters do not exist."

Natsuki felt she'd kill the whole world for stealing the wonder of her smile.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Author Notes:

This chapter is centred on the years between. Between what? Between finding and loving. It is not written in a way that makes it very understandable, but that was done purposefully as their growth in feelings towards each other will be later explained.

But so as to not lose you so early into the story, I'll explain a bit.

Part one, entitle _Home_, is a continuation of the prologue, focusing on the feelings of both Natsuki and Shizuru at the very start of their relationship.

Part two, _Understanding_, focuses on Shizuru, who is a little older and a little wiser. If she had met Natsuki at this age, then this story might not have been possible. She is starting to understand better the horrors of the world, and, as any child just learning that the world isn't as beautiful a place as she thought, she is frightened of what might happen to her, and paranoid.

The most important part in this chapter is part three, _Watching_. It best shows the advancement in the relationship between the two. A lot is missing from their story, but not much occurs between the ages of 9 and 16. Shizuru learns exactly what she has gotten herself into, and goes into a brief period of fear, which is relieved as time goes by. She relaxes around Natsuki, and waits patiently for Natsuki to open up to her. Natsuki herself is mistrusting of Shizuru, even a bit fearful, but is unable to completely tear herself away as, like all children, she needs a friend. The actual moment of when their friendship forms is not shown, because there isn't an exact moment. Their friendship actually started with those boring nights of Shizuru studying, with Natsuki watching secretly from behind the mirror. Though Natsuki denies any and all feelings of liking Shizuru, merely as a friend (she is still very young), the bond is already formed. The exact moment of their person to person communication is, therefore, not really needed.

I hope I have written the scene properly so as this particular part in their life is not much missed.

Then the final part, _Maturing_. It is mostly a glimpse into the next chapter. The next chapter will focus on the romance of their relationship, and the problem that arises between them. The next chapter is where the actual build up to the climax commences. The fall will come very soon after, then another, smaller, climactic moment, the final fall and the end, whatever it might be, soon after that.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next will come soon.

Until then,

~K-promises-fall.


	3. Chapter 2: Growing Together

**Chapter 2 – Growing Together**

* * *

1: Unnatural

* * *

It was natural.

Sitting at her usual post behind the mirror, eyes glowing in the darkness of the room, Natsuki thought of all the reasons that statement was both torturously true and foolishly false.

It was natural that Shizuru would have to marry. It was the way the world of the daytime ran. Little girls grew into beautiful women who would be married off to men and who would manage the household, produce babies and provide gentle arms for their husband to sleep in at night after a tiring days work. The maids giggled constantly about how handsome Shizuru's suitor was and how beautiful their children would be. Then again the maids also giggled of how Natsuki herself would take to the engagement, seeing as she was the "mysterious _(male) _phantom" who was taken in by their mistress and who had _obviously _fallen head over heals for her. This was natural for the humans.

It did not matter that Shizuru had been studying since before she turned nine. It did not matter that Shizuru was scarily intelligent and could very well manage on her own. No, what mattered was that she was female; young and female. Young females were to be arm accessories to young men. Young females were to fall in love with those men. And those men would in turn love them, and keep them safe; flatter them when they were at their worst, buy things for them that they didn't need. She knew this was natural because she had read it in many of the books Shizuru had on her bookshelf. She knew it was natural because she had ventured into the library and found many, many more stories with the same system. They made it seem so wonderful.

And yet Natsuki could never truly believe it natural. Natsuki herself was not deemed as something "natural", though she felt natural enough. Her heart still beat in her chest, albeit much faster than a human's. She could taste, hear, see and feel; she was just a bit more refined, or a bit more unrefined. But she had grown up amongst humans who thought her unnatural, and so she had come to believe herself not of nature. How can something not of nature ever believe in something said to be natural; normal?

She could not, would not, and would never.

The handsome young man who came to take away her Shizuru was a coward in fancy clothes. He did not know Shizuru. He spoke sweet words like poetry, but they lay empty – merely spoken to impress and soften. He courted Shizuru like a king, travelling the small town in a carriage to get dinner when he had already found himself in debt with several business men. Natsuki knew because the maids knew, for all their talk of white princes.

She hated him.

Oh, how she hated him.

She hated him because he planned to take what was hers, and she hated him more because he was not worthy of Shizuru. He knew he was not worthy, Natsuki knew he was not worthy, and even Miss Maria would frown sometimes, the old bat. Still Shizuru smiled politely at him and allowed him to court her.

And still she accepted his marriage proposal even as she returned to her room to suffer in silence and cry.

How, then, could something like this be natural?

How could it be the proper way?

* * *

"_I have to marry sometime Natsuki. It's best to do it while I'm young."_

"_He is not good for you."_

"_He is better than some."_

"_But he is not good for you."_

"_... Would you think anyone good enough?" Her eyes – sad, resigned, determined – stared into her own. Natsuki thought they looked ready to hang._

"_No..." She cast her own gaze to the floor. "No one. Not even me."_

_Shizuru's lips parted, then they closed and Shizuru turned back to the bed where her clothes for the evening were spread._

_That one action hurt deeply._

* * *

2: Nature

* * *

"_Come on."_

_She tugged at her hand, but Natsuki didn't budge. She refused to move._

_Shizuru groaned, frustrated. Natsuki only smirked at her, knowing Shizuru would be unable to use force to get her to move. Natsuki was far stronger than Shizuru, even more so now that she was healthy._

"_You can't tell me that you are afraid. Aren't phantoms supposed to thrive at night?"_

"_I am not moving."_

"_It is only a little bit of snow, and you haven't been outside for months."_

_The smirk grew wider. "There is nothing outside to interest me." The look she sent Shizuru spoke enough, and she laughed at the pink tint to Shizuru's cheeks._

_Shizuru huffed and hit her playfully in the chest. Natsuki had finally grown to be the same height as Shizuru and only moved back a small step from the push. Then Shizuru smiled, eyes twinkling in the dark and said, "I'm outside," before running for the door._

_Instantly Natsuki blocked her exit. "No you are not."_

"_You cheat."_

_Natsuki only smirked, and Shizuru turned, walking away in mock anger. Natsuki followed her with her eyes – ever the watchful phantom. Shizuru was only a meter away when Natsuki heard the shuffling of lazy footsteps. She tensed as the footsteps got closer. Her eyes turned to Shizuru, who seemed to have just heard the approaching person, and as Shizuru stepped back Natsuki grabbed her arm and pulled her outside into the soft snow. She took great care in locking the door and leaned against the wall, listening to see if the person had heard them leave. There was the sound of one of the cupboards being opened and then closed shortly after. Then the person moved further away and the kitchen door clicked shut._

_Natsuki released a breath she didn't know she had been holding and turned to Shizuru who was leaning against the wall next to her. Shizuru was panting softly, her mouth curved in a smile as she blew out puffs of frost. Her cheeks were tinted a slight pink, and her eyes sparkled in a way Natsuki had grown very used to. She instinctively raised her eyebrow in a challenge; let Shizuru try and say something._

_Shizuru only broadened her smile, raising her own brows as she said, "I thought that there was nothing interesting outside."_

_Natsuki broke eye contact to look at their surrounding. It was dark, and everything looked gray. The snow falling was soft and wet, she could see a fog creeping in from the next yard. "There wasn't."_

_She looked back at Shizuru and broke into a small smile of her own. "So I thought I'd bring something interesting with me."_

_Shizuru laughed, and Natsuki's couldn't help but laugh with her._

* * *

3: Expectations

* * *

_Shizuru watched as the carriage pulled up before the door, the driver jumping lightly from his post and walking towards the side door to open it for his passenger. She subconsciously stepped a bit closer to Miss Maria as a young man in a dark suit and matching top hat emerged, strands of blond her curling at the back of his neck. The woman seemed to not notice her movement and stepped slightly ahead of Shizuru to great him._

_Shizuru looked curiously at the driver, who stood by the carriage door, rubbing is gloved hands together as another cold wind blew, before she had no choice but to look at the young man who had departed from it._

_He had a smooth, clean face and kind enough eyes, but Shizuru still had to force her body to cease fidgeting. Her heart beat desperately in her chest as she wished he would turn and get back in his carriage and drive off._

_Her lips moved up into a small smile as Miss Maria introduced them to each other._

"_Monsieur Roche, I would like you to meet the young mistress, Shizuru Viola."_

_At those words, training from her etiquette courses took hold, and Shizuru stepped forward and curtseyed, placing her hand in his as he held it out to her, and fighting off all improper reactions as he bent to kiss her hand. He smiled up at her as he straightened out, his hand still holding hers. "Mademoiselle, I must say that I am a man deeply surprised. Your beauty and grace far precedes that which I have heard in France."_

"_Sir," she could barely hear her own words over the rapid beating of her heart, and she hoped and prayed that Natsuki was not watching this. "You flatter me greatly with your kind words. Please, come in." She stepped to the side, sliding her hand out of his, and gestured inside the house, following behind and looking over her shoulder to cast one last look at the carriage through the closing door. It was moving away. She turned her head and took her place beside and slightly ahead of Monsieur Roche, leading him further into her house. She responded politely to his inquiries as they made their way to the drawing room, her heart in her stomach as she knew that there was no escaping this, and that Natsuki – the watchful person that she was – would see every second of her betrayal._

* * *

_Natsuki watched his departure from the carriage with narrowed eyes from a third story window. The maids only cleaned the rooms on this floor once a week, and that day had been two days previous. Her eyes glowed brightly as she closed the curtain and she hissed slightly as she made her way back to the hidden passages in the walls to follow them. She rubbed angrily at her face as she went, flakes of blackened skin tearing off easily and floating to the floor as she moved. The skin underneath was still raw and Natsuki flinched and grunted when she opened a blister on the side of her face that had yet to fully heal. Ignoring the pain she continued down the levels._

* * *

"I do not like him."

Curled up beside the complaining vampire, Shizuru sighed. "I know you don't." She shifted, finding the space between Natsuki's neck and shoulder to be very comfortable and placing her nose against the cold but familiar skin. "You have merely said so a thousand times."

Natsuki scoffed, looking at Shizuru through the corner of her eye. "Only a thousand? Then it begs to be said a lot more. I do not like him."

Shizuru's hand found its way under Natsuki's loose shirt and traced her side gently with her finger. Natsuki stiffened reflexively and turned her head to look at her, but could only see the top of her head. Did Shizuru know what she was doing?

Apparently not as Shizuru breathed out onto her neck and burrowed closer into the spot. She felt the small smile on Shizuru's lips on her neck and exhaled sharply as Shizuru laughed into the same spot. "Will Natsuki say the same thing even after I am married to him?"

She was suddenly angry, her eyes flashed a brilliant green as she grabbed Shizuru hands held them above her head, pinning her to the bed. She glared fiercely into her surprised eyes and in a fierce, heated whisper, barely remembering the need for quiet conversation when she was with Shizuru these days, said, "You are _not_ marrying him. You're _not_. So don't even _think it!_"

She breathed heavily, staring into the crimson orbs below her. Ready to lash out if Shizuru tried to deny it, but Shizuru said nothing, only stared up at her in confusion and muted gratitude. Natsuki's breathing slowly evened out, and her grip on Shizuru's hands loosened, her forehead lowering to rest on Shizuru's own as they retained eye contact.

When her breathing calmed she whispered another denial. "You are not."

Beneath her Shizuru smiled coyly. "I have to marry sometime Natsuki," she whispered back her voice soft and gentle, as if explaining something to a child.

Without thinking, Natsuki closed the gap between them, melding their lips together in a kiss similar to the many she had read about in books taken from the library. Chaste they described it as. When she pulled away Shizuru's eyes were wide, and her body had gone rigid beneath her. Seeing the words forming on her lips Natsuki dove in again. This time pressing her lips more firmly over Shizuru and coaxing them to move with hers. She smiled when they did and shivered as a hand ran through her hair to massage her scalp.

Kissing Shizuru was perfect. It wasn't exactly as she had imagined it being. They were both inexperienced and Shizuru's lips were tentative against her own, hesitating. But it was perfect just the same. It was perfect simply for the reason that she was kissing Shizuru and Shizuru was kissing back.

She pulled back slightly and opened her eyes, smiling as Shizuru did the same. Shizuru looked nervous, happy, confused and surprised all at the same time. Natsuki couldn't help but chuckle a bit and nudge her nose against Shizuru's. The words that came out of her mouth were soft and light, though she was very much serious. "You can marry me."

She leaned in for another kiss, jumping on the inside when Shizuru met her halfway, and when they split apart Natsuki murmured on her lips an affirmation, "You can marry me."

Later she would think about how such a thing was impossible. Later Shizuru would point out that not only were they both female, but Natsuki was a vampire and they would both be killed the second they went out into public together, much less talked to a priest. Later they would figure out all the little details that made such a thing impossible. Right now all that mattered was the meaning behind those words, all that mattered was the emotions from the years leading up to this moment, where everything that was done was done without forethought or premeditation, without doubt or question.

Shizuru's hand once again found contact with the skin of Natsuki's stomach and Natsuki broke their kiss to exhale heavily onto her neck. The hands under her shirt caressed her stomach, exploring the muscle that had formed due whatever activity Natsuki did when not in her presence. Natsuki's mouth trailed kisses down Shizuru's jawline as her hands caressed her sides through the thin material of her nightgown. She paused at her neck, rubbing her nose against the spot before gently tracing her fangs over it. Shizuru's hand on her stomach froze, and before Natsuki could think about what she was doing, her fangs pierced skin.

Shizuru arched beneath her, whimpering slightly as conscious thought rushed back to her. But before she could panic, Natsuki's fangs retracted, her tongue gently licking at the two small holes and kissing them gently before retreating, looking at her handy-work with misty eyes. She caught Shizuru's hand, which had moved up to touch the spot and held it gently as she rolled them both onto her side.

Shizuru could feel her heart beating in her chest. The beats were strong, but spaced out. She felt tired. "Natsuki?"

Natsuki looked up at her, still holding her hand and tracing the contours of it with her fingers. Natsuki smiled at her, the smile vanishing as quickly as it appeared. "You can marry me Shizuru... You are already mine."

They both fell asleep.

And when Natsuki woke up she stared with wide, frightened eyes at the two small dots on Shizuru's neck, listening to her slightly faster heartbeat and wondering just what it was that she had done.

* * *

4: Promises

* * *

News came a few mornings before the wedding. The kind Frenchman had been out drinking in celebration of his upcoming marriage and had been quite intoxicated when he left the bar. His dead body had later been found behind the bar when the bartender had been closing for the night. His death had been brutal; he had signs of strangulation around his neck and bruises on his back from being slammed into the wall of the building, as well as a jagged, deep cut along the base of his throat. His body had been severely drained of blood and the authorities thought he had to have been killed at another location before being moved to where he was found since few bloodstains marred that area.

Shizuru had retreated to her room, ignoring the expressions of concern and murmurings of sympathy from the maids. Her eyes scanned her bedroom to find it empty, but Natsuki was here of course, because Natsuki had followed her here. She walked over to the mirror and found the tell tale green glow from Natsuki's eyes. She stepped closer, and could faintly make out the outline of Natsuki's body. Her eyes narrowed.

"You've heard."

The shadow nodded. "I hear everything."

Shizuru nodded back. "Of course."

"Is that-

"What a strange coincidence that he should happen upon such... misfortune three days before our wedding."

Shizuru's eyes glared at Natsuki behind the glass. Natsuki's own eyes narrowed in response.

"Yes... Someone managed to kill the bastard before I did."

Shizuru stepped even closer to the glass, puffs of breath misting over the surface, her red eyes aiming to melt a hole into the mirror. She was in no mood for word games. "Did you kill him?"

"I just said that I-

"Natsuki! Tell me the truth. _Did you kill Monsieur Roche?_"

The silence between them stretched out like a heavy fog. Shizuru mentally cursed the mirror that separated them and kept her from clearly seeing the expressions the other girl was making and inwardly fumed at Natsuki for remaining behind it even as her crimson glare pierced the mirror and bore into the person behind it. Her breathing was heavier than usual.

Behind the mirror, the glow in Natsuki's eyes lessoned. Her answer was smooth and unrestricted, her eyes not appearing to shift from what little Shizuru could see. "No, I did not."

Shizuru watched as the figure walked away and sighed in frustration. Natsuki very well might have been telling the truth, but she didn't think she was. Maybe she was showing too little trust in her phantom but she still remembered that night; still remembered the look in Natsuki's eyes.

A monster had roamed the streets last night. It had killed her fiancé and freed her of her ties to him.

And Natsuki was continuing to change.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

There.

This one took quite a while to write due to the fact that I am not a romance writer, but I felt compelled to write today, and this story was on my mind. Forgive me if it is not very romancey; I _did _try and go through and fix some areas, but I must confess my doubt of how everything turned out. But... now that the hard part is over, the next chapter should be easy, as it concerns the themes I do best.

I suppose I should talk a bit on this chapter.

The order of events in this chapter isn't exactly the order in which these events occur. Part 2 happens first, then the flashback of Part 3, Part 1 can occur either before or after the rest of Part 3, but I think it fits best before; else Natsuki's thoughts would have been plagued by what she did to Shizuru. And Part 4 finishes everything nicely.

Part 3 is the most important part of this story to date. It commences the changes between the two. A line was crossed, and what happens after this are results of that line being crossed. This part effectively builds the start to our climax. Things are changing. Shizuru has been changed, Natsuki is changing (perhaps not for the better) and there are yet more changes to occur.

Now just so that there is no confusion on the last part, Shizuru is not sad that Monsieur Roche is dead. She isn't happy, but she does not mourn him. She is not upset because he has died; she is upset because of the possibility that Natsuki was the one who killed him. Shizuru is starting to doubt Natsuki. Maybe old fears are creeping back in? And maybe Natsuki _didn't_ kill her fiancé. That doesn't matter, what matters is that festering doubt.

But, alas, if I talk much more I might give away the rest of the tale, though some of you might know how things will turn out from what I've already written. If you do, don't tell anyone, and stick around to see if you deduced correctly.

Until Chapter 3,

~K-promises-fall.


	4. Chapter 3: The Burning

**IMPORTANT****: **Thanks for all the lovely reviews and support so far guys! I'll try to make this brief. Firstly, just to clear up the whole biting issue. Yes, Natsuki sort of bit Shizuru in Chapter 1, but if you go back and read it over, you'll see that it wasn't a full bite. In other words, Natsuki's fangs never sunk the entire way in, she stopped herself before it got to that point. Secondly, and most importantly, **this is will be the last chapter for a while**. As said in my very first note at the start of the prologue, I got serious writer's block after this chapter and never managed to get past it. That said, I am trying to write the last two chapters, but I am not sure how long that will take. Sorry, you might have to wait quite a while. That said, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 3 – The Burning**

* * *

It was the smell that woke her.

* * *

1: Deception

* * *

"_Shizuru..."_

_Emerald orbs watched as the girl brushed her hair, gaze focused on the mirror but not what she could see in it._

"_Shizuru."_

_Again she tried to garner her attention, to meet the gaze that now shunned her. But Shizuru brushed the last stroke and quickly caught up her hair in one before moving away. Again Natsuki had been ignored. And for what? For some arrogant Frenchman who had met his own just end?!_

"_Dammit Shizuru! Answer me!"_

_She barely managed to stop her hand from flying through the fragile mirror, and felt it shudder violently beneath her palm. Still, still Shizuru did not look. She did not look and it pained Natsuki too much for such a thing to continue. It couldn't continue. Because Shizuru could only be hurting herself with this, right? Shizuru hurt as much as, maybe more than Natsuki, didn't she? Wasn't that how such conflicts affected people? The hero loses the trust of the girl, and she shuns him, all the while suffering inside as much as he suffered out; that was how the story went. And the hero always redeems himself. Wasn't her situation with Shizuru very much like that? It could never be any different, because Shizuru loved her. She had to._

"_Shizuru! I didn't kill him! Is that what you want to hear? He met is end without my interference, I was here the entire time, watching you!" And still the girl with wonderful russet eyes refused to turn and look. "Dammit Shizuru he is not worth this!"_

_Shizuru paused, and Natsuki felt a flicker of relief at the first bit of acknowledgement she had garnered in four days._

"_You wanted him gone didn't you? You wanted him to leave. So why are you acting like this? I wanted to kill him, Shizuru! Believe me I did! But I didn't. I didn't!"_

_She watched as Shizuru's shoulders began to shake, and then a sound she had never again wanted to hear reached her through the glass. Shizuru was crying. "Shizuru-"_

"_Stop it!" The yell was sudden and startling. Natsuki was so surprised by it that she actually took a step back before once again placing her palm on the back of the mirror._

_This was wrong. "Shizu-"_

"_Where did you learn to lie so blatantly?!" The words stung. "What have you been doing so that you could think to look me in the eyes and hide behind your goddamn mirror and lie so brashly, so _brazenly_ to my face! I-" her voice broke and wavered momentarily before she turned to look at Natsuki. Natsuki who was merely an outline with two glowing pinpricks of emerald light high up. Natsuki, who had hurt her so deeply. Natsuki, the coward hero. "I did not teach you this..." her voice trailed off to a whisper. And Natsuki's hands curled as she took in the tear streaks on the beautiful face. "I did not teach you to be so cruel, Natsuki."_

_She was making Shizuru cry. "I-"_

_But Shizuru shook her head, no. She wasn't done. "You have been leaving the house. Early in the morning, when I and the maids are fast asleep. You take one of the horses, and you ride to a town 3 miles away, where it is safe for you to feed. A town that is already used to such occurrences that one more would not matter. You go so far, so that I won't know. You are a vampire, Natsuki, you have to feed to survive. You need only have asked... and I would have given you as much of my blood as you needed. Instead you lied to me and played the role of the charming phantom. You hid yourself from me. That hurts. You go to the same town to steal clothes, because you believe that I could not supply you with your own without risking myself. But I could have learned to sew for you._

"_You hide in your walls, and watch me from hidden panels and play yourself the hero of some grand fairytale! Come to save the Princess Shizuru from her dismal fate! Acting as if you are the better choice! Acting as if you are innocent and blameless! Living in your fantasy world as you dare, _you dare_, stand there and say to my face a _blatant _**lie!**__"_

_The silence pounded in Natsuki's ears as she stared at the floor. "Shizuru..."_

"_Where did you learn such treachery?!_"

_..._

_And Natsuki found herself unable to answer; unable to look at Shizuru as the girl who raised her lifted a hand to finger the two holes scabbed over on her neck; unable to say anything but a quiet murmur. "You are becoming more susceptible to light. We have to leave, in a few days you won't be able to go out into daylight at all."_

_She fled as the response came. Piercing thick wood in a wounded cry, "**And now you curse me?!"**_

_She wiped furiously at what tears threatened to spill over from her eyes, and moved even faster from the sobs of the one person she truly ever cared for._

* * *

It was the smell and the screaming that woke her up.

* * *

2: Imagination

* * *

_Natsuki loved to read. She loved to read because Shizuru loved to read. She loved to read because Shizuru had taken the time to stop her studies and teach her how to read. But, mostly she loved to read because the mansion's library was full of books, old and new, full of the different gateways to so many different worlds. Worlds where she could don a new face and history; worlds where she wasn't born a child's nightmare and worlds where the nightmare was made into a dream. She could escape from the echoing schemes, and the heat of flames, and the heat of the sun, and the pangs of hunger, and the lonely nights full of the smell of sulphur and shouts of men._

_Wonderful worlds with mischievous fairies, and great roman gods. Tales where she could hide and imagine a different life, and always, always she would bring Shizuru with her. There were some worlds where they met as ordinary people of the same social standing, and others where they were not. There were some tales in which Natsuki was, instead, an elf, and where Shizuru was the human she had been forbidden to interact with. There were more stories still. Stories where Natsuki would save Shizuru from the dragon, from the dwarves, from the rapist and murderer, from the runaway carriage, from the wicked step mother, from the burden of duties passed down. Stories where Natsuki could protect Shizuru like Shizuru had protected her. Stories where she could repay Shizuru for all of her kindness._

_Worlds so similar and yet so different._

_Worlds that were not real._

_Natsuki loved to read. It took her mind off of how pathetic she had become. It spared her from thoughts of how uselessly skinny and frail and weak she was. Of how easily she had turned to almost harming the one person who had tried to help her. It kept her thoughts from how Shizuru had needed to teach her how to talk again, how to eat again, how to act again. How she had to relearn how to not be scarred and afraid. It kept her mind off of why she never once looked into the mirror she so frequently hid behind; of why she often found herself walking secret halls in the day when she should have been sleeping, stalking Shizuru's footsteps when she should have been allowing her body what it needed to survive on what little blood still circulated through her system._

_Reading was a most wonderful thing. Such a wonderful gift Shizuru did not even know she had given her._

_Shizuru..._

"_Natsuki?"_

_Shizuru? She turned, and there she was, gently closing the library doors before looking up to smile at her._

"_Would Natsuki care to tell me what is so interesting to have her reading in the library all day?"_

_The smile that spread on Natsuki's face was genuine. "No."_

_The cute pout that appeared on Shizuru's lips was not. "How mean..." But the twinkle in her eyes was truer than ever._

_Shizuru would never have to worry about her again. Because Natsuki was stronger now, and growing stronger still. And she would protect what was precious to her, even if her sword wasn't as stainless and smooth... even if her shield was battered and crooked._

* * *

It was the smell of sulphur and the screaming that had followed her for 11 years, and the loud cheers that echoed from her past like a swinging sledgehammer.

* * *

3: Separation

* * *

"_Don't go out today."_

_The reply was cold. "I'll manage."_

"_Shizuru!"_

"_I said that I would manage, did I not?"_

_Then she was out the door, her white, wide brimmed hat casting shadows across her face; the only thing protecting her now extremely sensitive skin from drying out and flaking. She was fully covered in her long-sleeved dress, but going out like that so close to summer would only draw unwanted attention, and people were paranoid enough in this day and age. She wanted to go out and stop her. To drag her back, kicking and screaming if she had to. To risk the sunlight if only to keep her Shizuru safe._

_But Shizuru did not want to be saved, and was already well out of Natsuki's range of tolerance. She could do nothing but watch the white skirt flutter in the light wind that was blowing and hope to high heaven that the wind did not blow Shizuru's hat off._

* * *

_Natsuki had been sick with worry the entire time Shizuru had been out. She had taken extremely long for just posting a letter, and Natsuki could not help but worry that she had been found out. But she had not been. The proof of that stood directly in front of her. Off came the hat, and Shizuru lightly shook chestnut tresses. The smile that greeted Natsuki was brilliant. It would have gotten anyone to instantly fall in love with her. But Natsuki was not anyone. And she understood then, that Shizuru might never forgive her or trust her again. It was not her smile. _

It was not her smile.

"_I'm sorry," she whispered. She wilted under the sudden sharpness in Shizuru's eyes, eyes that used to twinkle at her. "I... I was worried. I'm sorry, I... I should not have lied. I should not have lied to you."_

_Shizuru was silent for a moment, her red orbs searching deep into Natsuki, no mirror between them to block her view. "Then I apologise to Natsuki for hurting her with my words." Natsuki winced at the memory of the reprimand Shizuru had given, and braved a chance to look back at the eyes that pinned her to the spot. Her heart fell through her chest. There was no smile on Shizuru's face. Shizuru wasn't even looking at her anymore. Shizuru's apology had been empty, only given out of politeness. Empty, because Natsuki's own apology had been insincere, only given because she had wanted Shizuru to look back at her as she used to. She would lie again. And Shizuru had not forgiven her for the lies she would tell in the future._

"_We..." Natsuki's voice was barely a whisper now. "We have to leave soon."_

_She could see Shizuru's shoulders tense. Shizuru did not want to leave, but Natsuki had ripped that choice from her a week ago. Natsuki's only comfort was that she had not meant to._

_She took it back, that wasn't much of a comfort at all._

_She heard Shizuru's shaky exhale. "Soon..."_

_Shizuru didn't want to leave. But if she stayed she would die. She had to understand that! She had to understand that no matter what happened she didn't want her to... to! "Dammit, Shizuru we can't stay here!"_

"_... Natsuki should keep her voice down lest she wake the whole house."_

"_I don't care!" But even as she said that her voice came out in a harsh whisper. "It will be dark soon. We should leave tonight! We can go and find shelter before the sun rises and..."_

"_And what? Turn to living as you did when you were a child?"_

_The remark at her earlier days stung more than she wished they did. Shizuru knew she detested those days, and had mentioned it on purpose. "I was only a child then Shizuru... and I was alone." She took a deep shaky breath that came out too much like a whimper. "I know that you don't want to leave. And I know that this entire thing is my fault. But you have to believe that I'm sorry! I'd take it back if I could! But I can't. Shizuru... Shizuru I love you... I don't want you to get hurt because of me... They'll kill you."_

_Natsuki was oh so tired. She hadn't been sleeping well. Shizuru's insistence on travelling to town at every opportunity had worried at her mind and she hadn't found it in herself to rest while Shizuru had been unaccounted for._

"_Soon Natsuki... I promise."_

_But Natsuki didn't want to hear soon. She wanted to hear now._

"_We'll leave tomorrow..." Thank you, Shizuru. "We'll leave tomorrow."_

* * *

4: Fissures

* * *

It was the smell she had once choked on that woke Natsuki up while it was late in the afternoon. It was the scream that she knew too well from her past, transferred through time in a voice she knew all too well. It was the cheers of men bloated on their egos after a brutal conquer.

The smell of sulphur, the heat of fire, fire that was too close. The smoke that tickled her nostrils. The screams of the maids, banging on the doors to be let out, that they didn't know. The cheers and jeers of the men who had barricaded the doors, yelling for the vampire to burn. She had awoken to the dream she had run from so long ago. And the only thing that seized in her mind was Shizuru. She chased downstairs, not caring for the hidden passages anymore, and happened upon Miss Maria, who looked at her with strict, stone eyes and said bitterly, "So we all die for you."

Natsuki felt that gaze follow her around the corridor. But there was nothing to witness but maids frantically trying to put out the fires on their skirts and aprons as they screamed and cried, inhaling rancid smoke full of the sulphuric smell. Where was Shizuru?

She ran back the way she had come, Miss Maria was not there this time, but Natsuki was in too much of a panic to care. Where was Shizuru?!

That was when she heard it. The scream so much like her mother's. So much like her sister's. That high-pitched screech born of intimate pain, and Natsuki's heart froze in her chest as she threatened to throw up. _No._ No no no nonononono NO!

The room she entered on the third floor had yet to catch light from the fire downstairs, but the window was already fogged by ash that seeped up through the floor. The heat of the room was intense. The light between the floorboards a bright orange where black didn't block the view. The fire beneath this room was strong. She couldn't stay long.

She wiped furiously at the window and pressed her face to the glass. She winced as the sunlight hit her exposed face, but did not move. Could not move. Shizuru screamed again, and the men around her jeered. She could barely see over the few buildings in her way, but the town was small, and she was close enough to see the square. A square much too far away for her to reach. A square where a crowd smaller than that which surrounded the mansion stood gathered around the post which had only recently been set up, tied to which was a blackened and blurred Shizuru. A Shizuru tied to a post in the midst of a raging fire. A Shizuru whose clothes had long since burned off, whose hair had been burnt from her fissuring scalp. A Shizuru whose screams became weaker until they existed in only her mind. A Shizuru speared through the middle by a rod. A Shizuru who was no longer screaming. A Shizuru who was dying. A Shizuru who was dead.

A Shizuru who was dead.

Dead.

DEAD!

Natsuki was screaming. _"NO! NOOO! NOOO! NOOO!"_

Shizuru was dead.

"SHIZURUU!"

A rock hit the glass where her forehead was pressed and Natsuki's head snapped back as it smashed through and drew blood.

"_There's the vampire!"_

_Shizuru..._

_Shizuru..._

_I... I..._

She shuffled back from the window. The room was on fire now. The flames creeping around on the walls to trap her in.

_Shizuru..._

She was no hero. A pretend hero. A coward. Useless, weak, unable to protect even that which she held dear.

_Shizuru..._

The flames licking greedily at her tears, Natsuki ran.

_My watchful phantom, Natsuki._

She ran to her hidden passageways and secret tunnels. Fled the light of day and the light of fire. Fled the life she loved, the corpse she had failed, the image she had built around herself.

_Sweet Natsuki; my courageous prince; the phantom who watches over me while I sleep._

Oh... Shizuru... Why hadn't you listened? Why? Why? Natsuki had never been strong enough to do anything but runaway. Why didn't you run away with her? Why?

_It is good then, that monsters do not exist._

No... but cowards did. And as Natsuki sought refuge in the stone tunnels that led away from the burning mansion she knew. She knew that she had always been a coward. Shizuru could never love a coward. Could never, because in every book she had read, every world she had fled to, every situation she had imagined. The coward lost. But the brave... The brave got the girl.

She cried as she ran. Bawled like a baby.

_You're a vampire..._

_You can marry me._

What a fool she had been.

* * *

And the sound of screams followed the runner, because no matter where she would run to, her sins lay on her heart. Because only the brave could face what wrongs they had done, and Natsuki wasn't brave at all.

* * *

End Part 1.

* * *

Chapter 3. A powerful chapter in which this story reaches its most saddening point. Oh Natsuki, what have you done?

Fear not, for this tale is not done. What is left one might wonder. But our Natsuki has yet to learn the lesson required.

Another three thousand word chapter. Still I will continue what I have been doing at the end of each chapter thus far and expound a bit on the situations presented in the chapter... or at lease organise them for you.

First on the timeline is Part 2; a flashback (as are Parts 1 and 3) that gets a bit more into Natsuki's mindset. It tells why Natsuki behaves the way she does and shows a little moment at the end between our two characters. That they are on agreeable terms blatantly hints that this flashback comes _before_ the flashback of Part 1.

Part 1 is, of course second. The actual fall through from a situation already tense. This fall through bares serious effects on their relationship as shown in Part 3, and that fallout paved the way for Shizuru's death. One thing lead to another. I apologize for reminding you of the fact that I killed Shizuru, but I did, get over it. I love her too. And you may hate me for it, but I have a reason.

**Edit 26/9/2012: If you have not done so, please read the note at the very beginning of this chapter.**

~K-promises-fall.


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